Chapter 157

Chapter 157
Asher's POV

The quiet in my study felt almost too perfect, broken only by the soft rustle of papers between Zayn and me. Maps were spread across the table, ink marks showing borders and weak points we needed to reinforce. I leaned forward, focused, trying to think three steps ahead like I always did.

Zayn tapped the edge of the map and said, “If we secure the eastern side first, we can cut off any surprise attacks.”

His voice was steady, practical, the kind that usually kept me grounded. I nodded slowly, eyes scanning the lines, but something inside me felt… off.

Then it hit me. A faint pull brushed against my chest, so light at first I almost ignored it. My breath caught as I felt Phina’s presence, that steady warmth I had grown used to, shifting. It wasn’t just moving… it was drifting away.

I straightened abruptly, my chair scraping against the wooden floor.

“Do you feel that?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

Zayn frowned, looking at me with confusion.

“Feel what?”

The room suddenly felt colder, the ticking clock on the wall louder than before. I focused harder, reaching out with everything I had, trying to grasp that invisible thread that connected me to her. It was still there, but weaker, like it was slipping through my fingers.

“No… no, this isn’t right,” I muttered under my breath.

My heart started pounding, each beat louder than the last, echoing in my ears. Phina wouldn’t just leave like that, not without telling me, not without a reason.

Zayn stepped closer, concern written all over his face.

“Asher, talk to me. What’s going on?”

I shook my head, already stepping back from the table.

“It’s Phina,” I said quickly, my voice tight. “Something’s wrong. I can feel her… she’s getting farther away.”

Saying it out loud made it real, and the fear hit harder. The air felt heavy, pressing down on my chest as I tried to steady my breathing. I could still sense her, but the connection was fading, stretched thin in a way that made my stomach twist.

Every instinct I had screamed at me to move, to find her, to not waste another second. Zayn reached out, trying to stop me.

“Wait, we should think this through—”

“I don’t have time,” I cut in, my voice low but firm.

Panic burned under my skin, but it sharpened into something stronger—determination. Without another word, I turned and moved toward the door, my focus locked on one thing alone. Finding her before it was too late.

Branches snapped under my feet as I ran, my breath coming fast and hard. The forest blurred around me, but I didn’t slow down, not even for a second. That faint pull of Phina’s presence guided me, weak but still there, and I clung to it like it was the only thing keeping me steady.

I pushed harder, my chest burning, the cold air cutting through my lungs.

“Phina… hold on,” I whispered, even though I knew she couldn’t hear me.

The ground beneath me felt uneven, littered with broken twigs and disturbed soil, signs that something had gone terribly wrong. The deeper I went, the heavier the forest felt. Shadows stretched longer, swallowing the light, and the scent of crushed leaves mixed with something sharper.

My senses sharpened, catching every sound—the rustle of branches, the faint echo of movement that had already passed, the quiet that followed like a warning.

Then I felt it. Her presence… just vanished.

I slowed abruptly, my heart slamming against my ribs as I reached the spot where the connection should have been strongest.

“Phina?” I called out, my voice cutting through the silence, but no answer came.

The emptiness that followed hit harder than any blow.

Instead, I saw her. Ellie lay crumpled on the ground, her body trembling, her clothes torn and stained. The metallic scent of blood hit me instantly, sharp and thick in the air. My stomach twisted as I rushed toward her, dropping to my knees beside her.

“Ellie!” I said, my voice urgent as I reached out. “What happened? Where is Phina?”

She let out a shaky sob, her hands clutching at the dirt beneath her.

“I tried… I tried to stop them,” she cried, her voice breaking. “They came out of nowhere. I fought them, I swear, but they were too many.”

My jaw tightened as her words sank in.

“Who took her?” I demanded, my voice low, barely controlled.

The cold air pressed against my skin, and I could still feel the faint echo of Phina’s presence lingering like a ghost. Ellie shook her head weakly, tears streaking down her face.

“I don’t know… they were fast, strong. They knocked me down, and before I could get back up… they had her.”

Her voice cracked again, filled with pain and fear.

I looked around, taking in every detail—the broken branches, the disturbed ground, the silence that followed violence. It all pointed to one thing. She was gone.

A sharp ache spread through my chest, heavy and suffocating. I clenched my fists, trying to hold onto control, but the reality hit me all at once. Phina was taken.

I gripped Ellie’s hand tightly, feeling the tremor in her fingers shake through me. Her pain was raw, spilling out in ragged sobs that echoed through the trees. I couldn’t even begin to process the thought of Phina being taken from me, the weight of it pressing down on my chest like stone.

“Ellie… it’s going to be okay,” I whispered, though my voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.

Her eyes met mine, wide and frightened, and I could see the guilt she carried.

“I—I tried,” she stammered, trembling. “I fought, I really tried to stop them…”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight.

“I know,” I said. “You did everything you could. But she’s out there… and I have to get her back.”

My hands dug into the earth beside her, gripping dirt in frustration, the cool ground grounding me even as despair gnawed at my insides. The forest was unnaturally silent around us. The usual calls of birds and the rustle of small animals felt distant, muted, as if the world itself held its breath.

Even the wind whispered softly through the branches, a faint reminder that Phina was beyond my reach. Every sound, every movement around me, made my chest ache with urgency.

Ellie’s shaking grew more violent as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“They were too many… they came so fast… I couldn’t—” she broke off, sobbing.

I pressed my hand to hers, offering what little comfort I could.

“It’s not your fault,” I murmured, though my heart pounded in panic. “I’ll find her. I swear it.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the cold air fill my lungs, tasting the damp earth. She was gone…

Then I turned to Ellie, as the suspicions began to slowly rise within me. What was she doing out here in the first place?